1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a buckle that is used in a five-point harness restraint for infant and child strollers. In particular, the invention relates to a buckle for a five-point harness that releases the shoulder straps entirely from the buckle system when the waist straps are released, to prevent accidental strangulation.
2. The Prior Art
In traditional five-point restraint systems, the shoulder straps and waist straps are formed from a single strap having a seatbelt-like sliding buckle. When the buckle is inserted into the center push portion, the strap forms both a waist belt and a shoulder belt. This system is suitable for restraining a child, but can create a risk of strangulation if the buckle is released and the child remains in the stroller or car seat. This is because the single strap forms a loop with the seat and rear wall of the stroller or car seat, and this loop can catch a child""s head if the child begins to slide out of the stroller or car seat.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a buckle for use with a five-point harness system that eliminates any risk of strangulation when the buckle is released.
It is another object of the invention to provide a buckle for a five-point harness that is simple to manufacture and operate.
These and other objects are accomplished by a five-way buckle for a harness-system having two shoulder straps, two waist straps and a crotch strap, comprising a center base section having at least one female buckle receptacle and at least one male buckle section. The male buckle section has means for threading a waist belt therethrough and a male buckle portion adapted for locking engagement with the female buckle receptacle on the center base section. There are means for releasing the male buckle sections from the center base section. There is a D-ring formed by a ring portion disposed on the male buckle section and a second ring portion disposed on the center base section. The two ring portions meet to form the D-ring when the male buckle section is locked to the center base section. This D-ring is used to secure a shoulder strap to the buckle assembly via a snap hook or other means.
The ring portions may be symmetrical, such as two quarter-circles that meet to form a semicircular shape, or may be assymetrical, such as an L-shaped member on one section, and a post on the other section, that meet to form a D-ring as well. Any suitable shape for the ring portions could be used, as long as they retain a hook when locked, and easily release the hook when opened.
In a preferred embodiment, there are two female buckle receptacles located on opposite sides of the center base section, and two male buckle sections, so that two D-rings are formed from two ring portions on the center base section and one ring portion on each male buckle section. This way, the buckle can be used to secure two shoulder straps to the D-rings. In addition, the center base section preferably has a bar located opposite the D-rings for attaching a crotch strap. The buckle can then be used to create a secure 5-point harness for a stroller or other item.
The means for releasing the male buckle sections can comprise either a center push button on the center base portion, or take the form of a side-release buckle. The center push button presses locking legs on the male buckle portion together and forces the male buckle section out of engagement with the center base portion. With the side-release buckle, there are a plurality of apertures in the center base section for receiving flexible locking legs on the male buckle portions. The locking legs protrude through the apertures when the male buckle section is locked to the center base section. Pressing the locking legs together releases the male buckle sections from the center base section.
In one embodiment, the two ring portions on the center portion are integrally formed with each other from a single piece, with the free ends of the ring portions facing away from each other. For example, the two ring portions on the center base section may be formed by a single inverted triangular unit attached to the center base portion and having concave side walls forming the ring portions. The inverted triangular unit preferably has a top ledge that overlaps the ring portions on the male buckle sections when the male buckle sections are locked to the center base section.
The inverted triangular unit may have an aperture extending through a central portion of the unit, and the ring portions on the male buckle sections may have at least one aperture extending therethrough. This xe2x80x9choneycombxe2x80x9d type of arrangement makes the pieces stronger, by preventing cracking through the whole width of the pieces.
In another embodiment, the ring portions on the male and center sections each have free ends that face each other when the male buckle section is locked to the center base section, but the free ends do not touch. The shoulder strap is kept securely in place because its location of contact with the D-ring is not directly at the split between the rings, but off to one side. However when the male buckle section is separated from the center base section, the rings open up and the shoulder strap is easily released from the buckle.
In another embodiment, one ring portion has a protrusion on its free end, and the corresponding other ring portion has a cutout corresponding to the shape of the protrusion on its free end, so that the protrusion fits within the cutout when the male buckle section is locked to the center base section. This creates a more secure fit, and creates the appearance of a continuous one-piece ring formed from the two buckle sections. Alternatively, the protrusion and indentation are located only on one half of the width, or on only one face side of the ring portions. The other half of the width or face side of the ring portions forms a finger, so that the fingers overlap when the male buckle section is locked into the center base section.
In yet another embodiment, the ring portions on the center base section are comprised of a semicircular loop having two ends attached to the center base portion, and a central post extending from the center base portion and attached to the apex of the semicircular piece. The central post has ledges on opposite sides thereof for receiving the ends of the ring portions of the male buckle sections when the male buckle sections are locked to the center base section.
The free end of one of the ring portions can have an interlocking male member, such as a hook, that locks into a corresponding female area on the other ring portion, to secure the two ring portions together. The hook is located at a lower height than the female member, to avoid interference when the male buckle section is being secured to the center base section, but engages the female area when the male buckle section is locked in. This is because under load, the hook is forced up to engage the female area and locks the ring portions together.
In a further embodiment, the center base section does not have any ring portions. Each male buckle section has one ring portion, that meets the ring portion on the other male buckle section to form the D-ring over the center base section when the male buckle sections are locked to the center base section. This way, two shoulder straps or one strap can be clipped to the D-ring thus formed. In addition, each male buckle section can also have additional strap bars for attaching waist straps or other straps.
The cross section of the snap hook is wide enough so that it extends beyond the tip of each ring portion, so that it is absolutely necessary to have the two ring portions put together to keep the hook in place. This way, the hook cannot become inadvertently caught on a single ring portion, and pose a strangulation hazard. The wider the hook is relative to the length of each ring portion, the easier it is for the hook to escape when the ring portions are apart. In addition, a wider hook cross section increases the interference between the hook and the two ring portions together, thereby controlling the amount of xe2x80x9cpull-apartxe2x80x9d force between the hook and the D-rings.